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The Milky Way
Photograph: Robert Falcetti
http://www.spacerock.nl/category/tivoli-2011/
Crater Lake, Oregon Photograph: John H. Moore
Historically, the Milky Way - seen as a faint glow across the sky - “Milk of the Heavens” - glow turns out to be countless faint stars
William & Caroline Herschel (1785) - to determine shape/size of Milky Way - counted stars in each direction
Milky Way is a flattened structure
appears as if Sun is close to center
- Limited view is due to dust - “interstellar extinction”
Harlow Shapley (1917)
- studied the distribution of globular star clusters
- they occupy a spherical region of space - but centered at a point far from Sun - towards Sagittarius
- represents the center of the MW
Now, infrared and radio observations - can map the MW
21 cm (Radio) map of the Galaxy
Galactic Center in IR, Spitzer Telescope
Solar System location
- 8.3 kpc (27,000 ly) from center
Structure of the Galaxy:
Disk: - flat distribution of stars, gas, dust - 100,000 ly across
- thin disk of young stars only 400 ly thick - thicker disk of older stars, 3000 ly thick
Spiral Arms: - located within disk - concentrations of ISM, very young stars
Halo: - spherical distribution of old faint stars - includes “dark matter”
Central Bulge: - thicker than disk, elongated shape - with a concentration of matter at center
Walter Baade (1940’s) -classified stars into two populations Population I stars:
- between 1 – 4% heavy elements - “metal-rich”
- found in the disk of galaxy
- nearly circular orbits around center
- includes bright O, B stars - concentrated in spiral arms
- less than 10 billion years old Population II stars:
- less than 0.1% heavy elements - “metal-poor”
- found in halo, globular clusters
- very elliptical, inclined orbits around center
- between 11 – 13 billion years old
Population III stars (?)
- none found, probably all have died - first generation of stars
- would have 0% heavy elements
Finding the mass of the Milky Way
- look at gravitational effect on motion of stars
- plot rotation curve
velocity (v) distance from center (r)
Solid object Mass concentrated at center
Rotation curve of MW is “flat” ?!?!
Results from other Spiral-type galaxies
Meaning of flat rotation curve:
- Much more mass beyond the outer orbits of stars
- Extra mass is completely undetectable - except for gravitational influence
- up to 10 times the mass of visible disk
“Dark Matter” Nucleus of Milky Way:
- Sagittarius A
- concentration of matter
- can observe motions of stars near center
Central mass:
- roughly 4 million Mo in a region <0.1 ly across Supermassive Black Hole
https://www.ted.com/talks/andrea_ghez_the_hunt_for_a_supermassive_black_hole
Formation of the Milky Way
Oldest stars in the galaxy (Pop. II):
- found in the halo and globular clusters - spherical distribution
- 13 billion years old
So, formation of the galaxy:
- started with the collapse of spherical “protogalactic” cloud
- almost pure H and He - tiny amounts of heavier elements
- about 13 billion years ago
- halo stars form just as collapse starts
- cloud flattens into a disk - due to rotation of cloud - keeps material spread out - can form new generations of stars
- concentration of matter at center
- forms supermassive black hole
Merger of smaller, satellite galaxies
- over time, contribute stars and gas into the Milky Way
- tidal forces stretch small galaxy - into streams of stars
- 12 separate streams of stars have been identified
- some globular clusters in halo - may be nucleus of merged galaxies
Artist’s concept of merger streams Globular cluster M54
In 3 billion years, Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies will collide
- may form a larger, round elliptical galaxy